GSMArena has published a number of undated images, which the site purports to be of the iPhone 6—or a prototype of an upcoming iPhone from Apple, in any case.
These images highlight a distinctive feature about the phone, in that they offer a curved display and a curved back.
It's kind of a big deal as the design is neither typical of Apple's usual aesthetic for its phones and looks more akin to the company's iPod lineup. Beyond that is the matter of the phone's curvature, which implies that the prototype is using a curved display—like the ones recently touted by Samsung at CES 2013.
According to the website, the guy who sent in the photographs couldn't verify the authenticity of the images, but they appear to be similar to the patent application that Apple recently had approved, seen below:
The pictures of the phone itself are grainy and may be the result of either skillful image manipulation in Photoshop or an elaborate hoax put together in a metal shop. But why would anyone go to such lengths to create a hoax that'll just go away in a couple of weeks?
In any case, let's take a look at the design. The double-curved design offered by the phone is highly plausible, as it would allow Apple to develop a phone out of thinner and lighter materials while still retaining the physical strength of a boxy unit. The same engineering has gone into the development of Apple's new iMac units, all of which feature a curved back made of thinner and lighter materials than the models of previous years.
The downside is that swiping your finger across the curved display will eliminate the illusion of a touchscreen display, unless Apple manages to print the display directly—or as close as it can—to the glass.
Either way, the technology is available and it's cutting edge—and assuming it's real, we think it'll be awhile before Apple puts it into development. It'll be very surprising if Apple announces this design this year.
